by Brian Simons
“True,” Sybil said, “but Sage Tawn put a bounty on our heads when we defied him. There are enough NPC drow up there to give us a very hard time.”
“What if,” Daniel said, but he stopped cold. Sybil did too. A low moaning sound came from the tunnels ahead. It sounded like a wounded animal.
Daniel followed Sybil through the winding corridors, hitting occasional paths that snaked for a long time before ending abruptly. The minotaurs’ home was a warren of confusing tunnels and dead ends.
“Whatever’s making that sound is going to die before we find it,” Sybil whispered through clenched teeth. They had spent five minutes wandering down an empty tunnel only to run up against a wall. She turned and stomped back the way they came. Daniel pictured a patience meter over her head. It was short to begin with, and it was almost empty now.
“Hold on a second,” Daniel whispered. “It’s coming from just on the other side of this wall.” He walked up to the wall at the end of the tunnel and placed a hand up to it. His hand passed through the space where the wall had been, making it seem as if his arm were immaterial, sinking into solid stone. He pulled it back for a second, reminded of the dwarf soldier that the ruined souls had melted into the rock. He hadn’t seen any ruined souls here yet though, so he reached out again and stepped forward. His whole body disappeared through the wall and emerged on the other side of it. It was nothing more than an illusion.
Sybil stepped through next. “How did you know that wall was fake?” she asked.
“I didn’t,” he said, “but dungeons like this always have a few false walls. I figured it was worth trying before we turned and gave up.”
“Without a map,” Sybil said, “and without knowing which walls are even real, I’m not sure we’ll find our way out of this maze.”
The lowing sound continued, and Daniel turned down a nearby tunnel. He let his ears lead, following the anguished sound of a large animal in terrible pain.
“We’re getting closer,” he said. Soon he rounded a corner and entered a small room. A bloodied minotaur lay still on the ground, moaning weakly.
Daniel peered at the bovine form.
>> Prince Ulthor. Level 17 Cantor.
“It’s the prince!” Sybil whispered. This was the first minotaur Daniel and Sybil had met on their last excursion to The Ersatz, the one Sage Tawn expected Sybil to slaughter.
“Sybil_in_Shrouds?” Ulthor asked, craning his neck from the floor to look at her. “You came back.”
“Who did this?” she asked. She knelt next to the injured humanoid, landing her knee in a pool of his blood and placing her hand on the tuft of hair that grew between the two young horns on his bull-like head.
“I met the challenge of the drow today, as is my duty,” he said. “I slew one, but a second drow hid behind her and attacked after I was already weak from the first fight. I was too proud to flee. I did kill the second drow attacker, but only after suffering serious wounds. As you can see, I’ll run out of blood soon.”
“Two against one?” Daniel asked. “Leave it to the drow to fight dirty.”
“Do you still have the ceremonial dagger?” the prince asked. “The one given to every drow when the time for initiation comes?”
“Yes,” Sybil said. “Why?”
Ulthor closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. “The drow population has exploded lately. They have killed so many of my people, and there’s nothing we can do. Will you avenge us? Kill me, Sybil_in_Shrouds. Let me die with honor as you grow stronger from the kill. Complete your initiation quest and destroy the drow from the inside.”
“I’m not killing you,” she said. “I really hate having to tell you that every time we meet. Come on.” She helped the prince off the floor, but teetered under his weight. The prince was only a calf, but he was still much taller and broader than Sybil. “A little help?”
Daniel stepped in and shared the minotaur’s weight. “Where is everyone else?” Daniel asked.
“Through the tunnels ahead,” Ulthor said, pointing at a stone wall.
Daniel and Sybil carried Ulthor through another false wall at the room’s edge, which opened into a larger chamber. This one had torches along the walls that emitted a faint, flickering light and the smell of oil. There weren’t many resources underground to work with, and Daniel tried not to wonder where the torch oil came from.
In this light, Daniel could see the full extent of Ulthor’s wounds. He had a large gash across his face and one eye was swollen shut. His simple clothes were torn and drenched in blood, save a black cloak tied around his neck. One deep wound on his side glistened with fresh blood escaping his body. Ulthor continued to groan while his head hung loosely from his shoulders.
The three continued to walk through the underground hallways, cut from the purple rock of the mountain above. The walls were rough, and many had cracks down the sides like lightning bolts frozen in stone.
“This amounts to insurrection,” a voice said, “and Onik will be held accountable.”
“But sire,” another voice said, “many follow him. They believe war is inevitable.”
“I do not,” the first voice said as Daniel and the others rounded the corner. “We lost that war once. Our future lies in brokering peace.”
“Are you getting this?” Sybil asked.
“Yeah,” Daniel said. “I’ve spent enough time in close contact with elves this week that I’ve picked up some basic elvish. What I don’t understand is why the minotaurs are speaking the dark elves’ language.”
“Because,” Ulthor said, “a people without a proper home gradually loses its identity.”
“Ulthor?” a voice came from ahead. “Ulthor!” It was King Rumin, with a small group of other minotaurs. They rushed down the hallway as Daniel, Sybil, and Ulthor trudged forward.
“Son!” the king yelled, but then stopped. His eyes began to glow red and a growl rose from his throat. The other minotaurs became similarly enraged. Did they think Daniel and Sybil had done this?
“King Rumin,” Sybil said, “you remember us. We’re on your side.”
The king lowered his head, aiming his horns toward the group. He prodded at the ground with one massive hoof.
“We’re the good guys!” Daniel yelled.
Then the king, and a handful of his minotaur attendants, charged full speed at Daniel and Sybil, wielding their maces.
15
“Daniel,” Sybil said. “Your armor!” She reached around Ulthor and fidgeted with the strings that tied the prince’s cloak around his neck. “Ulthor, I need to borrow this.” The young minotaur nodded weakly.
Daniel looked down and saw torchlight flicker off his carmine red kobold steel armor. It gleamed with its impressive polish. It also, however, was a maddening hue to the cow-people that lived in these tunnels.
Sybil managed to wrap Ulthor’s cloak around Daniel in time to stop the king and his coterie mid-charge. The redness glowing in their eyes died out as they regained their composure.
>> Minotaur Mantle. Helps you cow-hide from your enemies. Defense +3, Spirit +2. Durability: 15/15.
“Last Hope,” King Rumin said, “my apologies for our lack of decorum. Petra?”
A woman emerged from behind the king who rushed toward Ulthor. She pulled a few vials from her bag and began applying salves and ointments to Ulthor’s side to stop his bleeding. Then she poured one vial down his throat that caused his body to glow green for a moment as his wounds began to close.
King Rumin bent down on both knees by his son’s side and placed a hoof against his cheek. “Ulthor, tell me you didn’t go off in search of drow alone again.”
“I defeated them both though,” the prince said. “I know you worry, but I have a responsibility to protect our people, just as you do.”
“I have the added responsibility of protecting you,” the king said, “and preparing you to serve our people as their wise, valiant leader one day. A leader that understands when to strike boldly, and when to ask for help.”
The prince nodded as the king stood up. Petra continued to salve his wounds. “The good news,” she said, “is that you won’t worry any of us in the near future. These wounds are deep and require more than salve to close them. They require time. You’ll rest until I say you’ve healed enough to get back on your feet. You’re especially lucky with this one here.” She tapped on his chest. “An inch to the left and the damage would have likely killed you.”
The king grunted loudly at hearing this and punched a hoof into the wall, knocking loose a few rocks. A moment later the ground rumbled beneath their feet.
“Did you—?” Daniel started.
“Quake the mountain with my bare hoof? No,” the king said. “Battle has strengthened me, but not that much. These tremors happen on their own. Some of the tunnels have already collapsed. First the drow try to eradicate us, now the mountain has turned against us. This world has decided it is better off without minotaurs.”
“It’s not just your mountain,” Sybil said, “all of Travail is rotting away. Have you seen black spirits wrapped in a thin veil floating around here?”
The minotaurs shook their heads. “Good,” Sybil said, “then it’s not too late.”
“Hiber Mountain is falling apart,” Daniel said, “giving birth to ruined souls that are impervious to physical attacks. They have the power to morph living things into evil monsters. Plus, the elves won’t stop attacking. We were hoping we could ask for your help.”
“There is no help we can offer,” the king said. “The mosses and fungi that used to sustain us have stopped growing. The few of our race that the drow haven’t killed yet are starving to death. To make things worse, my cousin Onik has convinced many of our warriors that we must storm the drow’s stronghold and expel them from the mountain if we are to survive. This, of course, would lead us to slaughter.
“My only option as the king of a dying and divided people is to beg Sage Tawn for mercy. If there is some way he would let us live, I must find out what it is.”
“Mercy,” Sybil said, “is not in his vocabulary.”
“Every creature with a beating heart has the capacity for compassion,” Rumin said. “From the lowliest goblin to the mightiest ancient. So long as Sage Tawn lives, it is worth appealing to the drow’s better nature.”
Sybil did not look convinced, but Rumin continued anyway. “The Aster Mountains were once the land of flowers and stars. The purple rock and boundless sky gave life to both beauty and hope. Long before our people learned to live in the dark, we cared for the land. In return the sky cared for us. The night stars warned us of the drow’s invasion so that we could prepare for trying times ahead.
“The sky did not forewarn of a second great battle. The drow came from somewhere. They came here for a reason and I believe reason can appeal to them now. That is, if I can secure an audience with Sage Tawn. I owe it to my people to try, and I owe it to the mountains themselves. The drow do not tend the surface as we had, they dwell only in darkness. The mountains are dying of neglect.”
“That can’t be true,” Sybil said. “The whole world is falling apart, it’s not just here.”
“Perhaps others have neglected the land as well,” Rumin said. “Regardless, I dream of a day when our people are restored to the light and can revive the mountains’ soul.”
“Why not lure the drow into a fight here in the tunnels?” Daniel asked. “No one knows the terrain better than you, and the false walls have significant ambush potential.”
“I will not start a war when a peaceful resolution may be had,” the king said.
“But Tawn—” Sybil said.
“I have decided,” Rumin said, holding out a hand to stop further challenge.
“Then let me go with you,” Daniel said.
“Are you nuts?” Sybil asked. “Last time we faced off with Tawn he almost blasted us to bits.”
“My Diplomacy is at 46 now, higher than it’s ever been. If there’s a way to negotiate with Tawn, I might be able to help.”
“And when that fails?” Sybil asked.
She had a point. If Tawn were interested in a peace accord with the minotaurs, he would have extended that olive branch long ago. They’d need a fallback.
“King Rumin,” Daniel said, “if our best efforts at peace fail, would you consider drawing the drow into the tunnels to fight for the minotaurs’ freedom?”
The king looked uncomfortable. Daniel wondered if one bull’s aversion to war is how an entire race ended up trapped underground in the first place.
“Yes,” the king said, “I would at least consider it. So long as I could trust Onik to hold his plans long enough for our people to fight as one. Whether we rise from this or fall, it should be together.”
“Where is Onik?” Daniel asked.
“Deep in the underground,” the king said. “Hiding. Plotting. We’d put a stop to it, but I can’t spare the fighters it would take to get past the giant rockmanders. In fact, would you speak with him on my behalf?”
New Quest: Minotaur de Force
Convince Onik and his faction to rejoin the herd and protect the tunnels.
Reward: 26,000 XP.
“Of course,” Daniel said. Not only would that get them another step closer to liberating the minotaurs, it was much needed XP on the way to unlocking Nuclear Option. “What are giant rockmanders?”
“Lizards, of a sort,” Rumin said. “While normally peaceful, they have been easily agitated lately. Be careful.”
Daniel and Sybil pressed on, walking deeper into the underground. It was a long trek, and Daniel lost track of the distance they covered. All the tunnels looked the same.
>> New PM!
“I got a message!” Daniel said. He opened the PM and read it. “Oh, it’s from Sal.”
From [OgreEater]: Guess who I found in the Ogrelands. Coral! She got a quest that’s taking us into Havenstock. Bummer we didn’t decide to rescue the dragon or we’d all be together again soon. Good luck in The Ersatz!
“Unbelievable,” Daniel said, kicking a rock down the long tunnel ahead.
“He sent it to me too,” Sybil said.
“Coral was in the Ogrelands, and now she’s going to Havenstock with Sal,” he said. “We should have gone to Havenstock to save Embra.”
“No,” Sybil said, “we should have chosen a destination that was going to help us rescue Ze and kill Sivona. That’s exactly what we did. An army of minotaurs is a more reliable ally than Hiber any day. You have to be patient while Coral does her thing. Just like I had to cool off and let Sal do his, right?”
“You’re right,” Daniel said.
“Don’t get me wrong, I still wish Sal were here,” Sybil said.
“Because now you have a hankering for rockmander stew?”
The ground trembled and the two steadied themselves against opposite walls in the narrow passageway until the tremor had passed.
“I’m serious,” she said. “We’re gearing up for battle without our tank. I don’t like it.”
“Are things strange at your house now that Sal moved in?” Daniel asked.
“Not at all,” she said. “He’s great with Farah, and he’s started fixing things that have been broken forever. If this keeps up, I might even let him slide on the rent.” She whipped around and pointed her spear at Daniel’s face. “But don’t you tell him I said that.”
Daniel laughed and brushed away her spear. “My lips are sealed.”
A few paces further and Sybil froze. “We have company.”
Daniel stepped out in front of Sybil. His platemail armor outclassed Sybil’s leather gear, making him the best candidate for soaking up damage. He readied his sword and squinted, trying to make out the features of t
he indistinct shape scuttling toward them. He didn’t know whether he was more frustrated that his Nightvision stopped leveling after he left his Scout class behind, or grateful that it remained active at all. Either way, he stared long enough to Surveil the oncoming creature.
>> You have Surveilled a Level 30 Giant Rockmander: 1620 HP.
Once he had Surveilled it, his eyes locked onto the lizard and its features became clearer even in the dark. It was twelve feet long and covered in gray overlapping scales. Two large nostrils rose from its short snout.
>> Congratulations! You have improved your Surveil ability to 9. Stare at something for 19 seconds to discern additional information.
The creature stopped a few yards away from them and started padding at the ground. A quick band of light flickered across the monster’s eyes and it charged at them with uncanny speed. Daniel swung his sword, but not in time. The rockmander knocked Daniel and Sybil over like bowling pins.
>> You’ve been hit! 409 Damage.
Daniel rolled to the side and hit the wall of the tunnel. There wasn’t much room to maneuver here. He lifted his sword again and scraped it down the lizard’s arm as it reared on its hind legs mid-attack.
>> Giant Rockmander takes 3 Damage.
The attack did nothing to slow the fiend’s inertia. It followed through with its attack and swiped at Daniel with a paw as dense as a concrete slab. Daniel slammed into the tunnel wall as Sybil jabbed at the monster with her spear. Its HP bar stayed nearly full.